Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2353: 186: Sparring
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
From the ancient city far away, shouts of alarm rang out, lanterns flickered wildly, and hordes of cultivators zipped toward the scene in haste.
The youth clad in purple armor appeared lost in a dream, his gaze fixed ahead.
A figure dressed in green robes stood with arms folded behind, the edges of his garments billowing gently, hovering amid the shadowy emptiness while watching with a grin.
Who could it possibly be other than him?
Indescribable waves of shock and delight filled his heart, but on instinct, he clasped his hands in deep respect, performing the gesture he'd repeated so many times in the past, and spoke with utmost reverence:
“Qian Baimao, a salute to Taoist Master Taiyi!”
Hearing the purple-armored youth's words, the unattractive cultivator in white armor next to him froze at first, then jolted to awareness, his emotions churning like stormy seas.
“Is this him, the Taoist Master who alone conquered those two mighty Great Realms?”
He hastily mimicked the salute:
“…A salute to the Taoist Master!”
Wang Ba gave a faint nod, his eyes lingering on the purple-armored youth before him, a subtle wave of reminiscence surfacing without thought.
He dimly recalled their initial encounter along the South Sea shores of Fenglin Continent, when the other was just a Qi Refining stage practitioner; years had flown by, and surprisingly, the youth had now ascended to the Unification stage, prompting Wang Ba to chuckle softly and remark:
“You rascal… no need for such stiff formalities between us.”
While speaking, his eyes glanced over the armor worn by the pair, as if grasping something, and then he inquired:
“I've been away for some time—how's the situation holding up in the realm?”
Sensing the warmth in Wang Ba's voice, Qian Baimao's features eased a bit, a smile breaking through as he answered:
“Reporting to the Taoist Master, the realm remains secure; invading forces from outside have been smoothly integrated into the three major camps and are progressing steadily…”
Wang Ba nodded approvingly while absorbing Qian Baimao's report, realizing that Chong Hua had stayed committed even without his presence.
But right then, a peculiar intuition stirred within him; he turned his head just a touch, his eyes naturally shifting toward the horizon.
Among the swarm of approaching cultivators, his attention quickly locked onto the enormous silhouette gliding silently from the distance.
Its sheer bulk rivaled nearly half the size of the Cloud Sky Realm!
With wings unfurled, it dominated almost half of the remote void.
“Fanming?”
Wang Ba arched an eyebrow faintly, a touch of astonishment in his tone:
“That's a quick arrival.”
Qian Baimao hastened to explain:
“It was Baimao who informed Taoist Master Chonghua…”
Wang Ba dipped his head in acknowledgment, his gaze toward the horizon now sparkling with a flicker of anticipation.
In that instant, Fanming's wings folded slightly, coming to a halt in the far-off void, and from its back burst a streak of golden-red radiance, slicing through the murky darkness like a vivid rainbow, closing in on Wang Ba in a heartbeat!
“That's Taoist Master Chonghua.”
Qian Baimao noted promptly.
Wang Ba's eyes tightened, showing a hint of surprise, as the Yellow Dao Domain erupted from his form, softly shoving Qian Baimao and the plain-looking white-armored cultivator to safety nearby.
At the same instant, the golden-red streak hurtled forward with whistling intensity, bearing a might that could rend space itself, akin to a comet crashing into the moon or a piercing golden needle, aimed straight at Wang Ba's visage!
In this very moment, Wang Ba's frame stayed motionless, neither drawing on a Dao Treasure nor invoking any Secret Technique from the Canlong Realm; the Yellow Dao Domain circulated smoothly, gathering ahead like a drifting barrier.
The golden-red streak smashed fiercely against the Yellow Dao Domain, and upon collision, the Blood Energy within the red-gold beam exploded outward, pounding the domain relentlessly like a downpour!
Bang bang bang!
Intense and relentless, the Yellow Dao Domain just managed to endure the mid-stage Crossing Tribulation might, its exterior immediately undulating with bursts of swirling hues like surging waves!
Yet this Yellow Dao Domain stemmed from Wang Ba's own rule insights, profoundly anchored and solidly built; though the golden-red streak proved keen and overwhelmingly aggressive, it couldn't overcome the vast divide between them—in the midst of this chaotic clash, the Yellow Dao Domain endured steadfastly.
Acknowledging the formidable resilience of the Yellow Dao Domain, the golden-red streak didn't press the fight, withdrawing right after the brush, twisting away with lightning speed to settle on the nearing Fanming's back.
Out stepped a commanding presence, his features chiseled as if by blades, nine parts akin to Wang Ba's own but radiating icy arrogance, a sharp departure from his usual air—the figure in golden-red.
The golden-red robes whipped in the wind; in his gaze, the golden double pupils gleamed with detachment and supremacy, surveying the endless Realm Sea as if an exalted god.
At this juncture, from afar, his expression remained frosty, though the golden double pupils betrayed a spark of astonishment.
The cultivators soaring from the nearby ancient city detected the overwhelming auras clashing between the pair, leaving them all terrified and ashen-faced!
As Chong Hua soared away, Wang Ba held back from chasing, but in his eyes, a surge of surprise and elation flared.
“It really is… early Eighth Tier!”
The early Eighth Tier equated, for cultivators, to the early Crossing Tribulation stage.
Upon his departure, Chong Hua had been at Seventh Tier Peak, yet astonishingly, in merely over two centuries, Chong Hua had broken through to the next realm, firmly entering the Eighth Tier!
“Still, under the Sea of Chaos Realm's rule limitations, typical paths can't breach into Crossing Tribulation—how on earth did Chong Hua pull it off?”
A puzzle lingered in his mind.
Nevertheless, after the failed assault, Chong Hua ignited with fighting spirit, his silhouette blurring as he lunged again.
Blood Energy blanketed the heavens, free of any acrid or rotten taint, exuding instead a sense of vast nobility; his blows, though lacking overt rules, hinted at a deeper layer of mystery.
Wang Ba's eyes narrowed a fraction, eager to gauge the Eighth Tier Dao of True Martial's strength; his body hovered ethereally, reluctant to resort to extra tactics, relying solely on the Yellow Dao Domain to counter.
Against the array of elite Dao Treasures he owned and the rule-based arts from the Canlong Realm, his Dao Domain seemed rather vulnerable by comparison.